Magic: The Gathering,GO TEAM MS!

[Micc]

Ive been playing casually with some friends to learn the game, and enjoying it enough to start buying cards. We did our own little booster draft the other night and I ended building a red white deck. To my surprise, I actually did pretty well going 4-2. So this leads to the question...whats the best way to go about buying cards for casual play?

Right now Im leaning towards just buying some bulk commons/uncommons from recentish sets to get started, but I haven't visited my local game shop yet to see how viable/costly that is quite yet. From there id probably focus on local sealed formats and leave constructed to people who know what they are doing.

Is that viable? Any other things I should know?

[Micc]

Seismitoad shouldn't be viable post rotation. Its all the new locking cards that Im really not looking forward to playing against.

I only play Pokemon TCG online so its hard for me to comment on physical card costs, but I would think that a significant portion of the value of a deck is in the staple trainers that see play in every deck. The right budget pokemon with a top of the line trainer engine can still make a solid deck.

In MTG news I played a friend of a friend's cube the other night. I now know what it feels like to play with and against really good cards. This games got a lot to it and I actually like it more than pokemon tcg.

[Micc]

Bronzong + Huntail is my budget deck of choice right now. Support from Aeigeslash EX and Keldeo EX helps a lot but they can be substituted by other heavy steel attackers and switching cards respectively. Level ball being back should help the non ex version quite a bit.

[Micc]

What do Goni and Vizier of many faces offer over Hostage Taker in the board?

[Micc]

Got back from GP indy late last night. This was the first team event I've ever played in and gotta say it was a blast. Helped that we had an awesome finish at 10-4, but I'm going to do everything that I can to make it to GP Columbus in April. Team limited is a really sweet format and I'm actually pretty excited for the upcoming team pro tour despite being indifferent about it before this weekend.

[Micc]

Oh sorry to hear that. Hopefully you got some redemption on Sunday?

[Micc]

Thanks! Yeah we cashed which was awesome. Also got to beat up on a couple of pro teams which felt great. While we definitely overachieved considering our relatively low experience level, this result has me pretty excited to continue the PPTQ and GP grind to see what happens.

[Micc]

Yeah, I recommend looking at the various hidden stockpile + anointed procession shells. They sometimes include treasure map and marionette master which can produce a combo finish that comes out of no where. Seems to be the closest thing to what you've described that is reasonably viable in standard right now. Of course viability depends somewhat on where you'll be playing and what your budget is. Huge difference between kitchen table games between friends who have limited card availability, an average FNM, and major tournaments like a GP or SCG.

[Micc]

I've had a fair amount of success playing 4 and 5 color good stuff between my pre-releases and online sealed pools. I also went 1-4 with what my entire play group thought was a nutty RW aggro deck.

Haven't done any drafts yet, but I plan to tomorrow for draft weekend at my LGS.

[Micc]

Looks like an entry level standard deck. How’s it performing?

[Micc]

Ahh you should get the pieces and try it out! Playing games is the best way to see what's working and what isn't.

Blackblade reforged is most effective with lots of legendary creatures. Forbears blade that DeathNote mentioned or even Captains Hook might be better in your current built.

[Micc]

Yeah, two large Ravnica sets and a third that supposed takes place on Ravnica but is themed around the overarching story instead of the plane itself.

I’m in for multicolor limited formats and shock land reprints. Should be pretty sweet as long as they don’t break standard again.

[Micc]

Assassin's Trophy is bonkers.

heck yeah. I'm extremely excited to see how this card impacts modern. I've been slowly working towards completing Mardu Pyromancer, but this might just bring Jund/Abzan back into the format.

[Micc]

The viability of that list is hugely dependent on where you’re playing. At a reasonably competitive standard FNM it’s not going to be good enough. At the kitchen table with your buddies who are all as new to the game as you it might work with a couple changes. Ask yourself what is your deck trying to do?

Is it trying to put spells into your graveyard quickly and play creatures that synergize with that strategy? Try some cheap cantrips like opt, chart a course and tormenting voice. Also include the mini Crackling drake that is Enigma Drake.

Is it trying to turbo ramp into big finishing spells like Apex of Power and Expansion//Explosion? Try some better artifact ramp like chromatic lantern and guilded lotus. Also considering cutting some of the midrange creatures like Crackling drake for more early interaction.

That list feels stuck between a couple different strategies. I’ve found it helpful to ask myself what does my perfect opening hand or curve out look like? Those questions should lead you towards a strategy you can focus your deck around.

[Micc]

Wooo pre-releases were awesome. Multicolored sets are sweet. And I won enough prize packs to host a draft this week.

[Micc]

I built something very similar about a week ago, with basically no prior MTG experience. I loved it, it was winning enough games for me to be happy, but everyone kept telling me it was awful.

It probably was awful in the eyes of a longtime tournament grinder. Don't worry too much about that.

Arena is an excellent introduction to Magic. It will help you identify what aspects of Magic keep you coming back and which are less important. If you decide that the complex gameplay and competitive urge to become a better player is what you enjoy then you can seek resources that will help you fulfill those goals. If you're drawn to the artwork and story, there's resources for that. If Magic becomes an excuse to get together with your buddies or even just another game you play online...well that's pretty cool too.

My advice is to find like minded players and enjoy their company.

[Micc]

PPTQ's not being a thing really sucks. My local shop is overall pretty casual but there's a small group of us that want to play competitively. We go to big events when they're close enough and really enjoy competing at that level. We used to be able to hit up a PPTQ of one kind or another somewhere within a couple hours drive on any weekend we wanted to. It was great prep for the big events and the planeswalker points added up quickly for earning GP byes. Without the PPTQ system we play more of the regular REL events which isn't a good fit for us or the people playing more casually.

I just want to play interesting games of magic against good players so that I can get better, but that's become a lot harder to do without grinding online.

[Micc]

There's a few shops by me that recently started their own tournament series with monthly qualifiers and a large end of year tournament. You could talk to some of your local shops and see if they'd be interested in something similar. If the prize pool is good enough I've seen some real good turnouts for those events.

[Micc]

So I crushed my prerelease events this weekend on the back of some incredible pulls. I'm afraid I probably used all my luck up before the GP circuit comes to town in a couple weeks.

I'm enjoying the overall high power level (even outside my pools). The set plays almost like a cube rather than a regular set release which is pretty cool.

[Micc]

So, I won a MCQ this weekend for Barcelona. Pretty stoked about that.

[Micc]

Your removal suite doesn't really fit your deck's aggressive game plan. Seal Away and Nahiri require your opponent's creatures to be tapped to remove them. Your deck cares way more about removing their untapped blockers. Shock and Lightning Strike might be better to hit those creatures or even your opponent's life total if they are low enough.

One of the biggest reasons to be Boros instead of just white or red is Heroic Reinforcements, so I'd say check that card out too.

[Micc]

What are you looking from a main deck board wipe?

29 of your 36 spells are either creatures or things that make creatures. It doesn't seem like wiping the board is something your deck is all that interested in.

[Micc]

I don't see why not. Red deck wins strategy against the likes of Esper is already to side out some amount of shock, lightning strike and wizards lightning in favor of explosive grindy threats such as Experimental Frenzy, Rekindling Phoenix and Dire Fleet Daredevil. If Leyline of Sanctity has a big impact on standard then Red deck wins can just move further in that direction. Gruul decks are doing similar things very well in their main deck for the current format.

All that said, I would be surprised if Esper ever goes to Leyline as a mono red hoser. Basilica Bell-Haunt, Oath of Kaya and Moment of Craving are all just way more effective to lean on than Leyline.

[Micc]

So I settled on neoform for MC Barcelona. Here's to hoping everyone leaves their Force of Negations at home...

[Micc]

Yeah, there's always going to be a subset of decks that don't have the tools to consistently answer the questions neoform asks. Thankfully there are enough answers now with the printing of force of negation because without that card I think neoform is broken.

[Micc]

I imagine it would be fine for counter-boarding against ravenous trap, although pretty narrow. Veil has been at its best for me as a counter to thoughtsieze/IoK, and that doesn't seem like something dredge puts to good use. Note that I've never actually tried playing dredge.

[Micc]

Veil sounds like the best fit for what you're looking for. I've been happy with it against any blue/black deck because at worst it cycles for 1. Dredging in response to things like surgical extraction seems pretty nifty too.

[Micc]

I ended up 7-9 (2-4 limited, 5-5 modern). Lots of ups and downs, good plays and bad ones. Pretty happy with the result and real glad to have been lucky enough to have such an awesome opportunity. I'd say I'm hoping for another one, but the future of high level organized play in paper is looking really grim and that makes me sad.

[Micc]

yeah big shake up. Modern MCQ by me this weekend and not only do I not have a full deck to play, I also don't know which of the half decks I should be trying to borrow missing pieces for.

[Micc]

I feel like Field of the Dead based ramp is still going to go so far over the top of linear creature decks that they won't be viable. That's just me theorizing about what I think I know though. I haven't actually played enough standard to have any real idea where things will line up after rotation.

[Micc]

Notes:Wtf is Field of Dead in this deck.

Never underestimate the power of lands that have spells tacked onto them. Field of the dead is at the very least a pillar of the format, and might just be the most powerful card in standard right now.

[Micc]

Do you have a local game store that you can go to a pre-release event next weekend? Those are very good for networking in your local community and you don't need any cards or supplies beforehand, just money to enter the event. For me, meeting people was as straightforward as showing up for events regularly at my local store. Find out what formats they play, get a deck together no matter how cheap/bad it is, and go play. Once you get a good idea of who the other regulars are at your local shop, you can ask to borrow cards or even whole decks for constructed events. The people who are willing to help are worth being friends with.

predit: oh good our advice matches for the most part.

[Micc]

Yes, field of the dead is just a silly magic card. I think standard needs a combo deck to get the metagame clock back where it belongs. There’s a lot of good pieces already so I’m hopeful something pops up. Combo based mill is something I’ve been meaning to mess around with if I ever find time to brew standard.

[Micc]

I have a major modern tournament coming up.

Whirza won't be banned (yet?) and I'm wondering whether I should do Collector Ouphe in sideboard in place of some of the Ancient Grudges even though it can't be played from dredgery. Ancient Grudge seems like such a drop in the bucket against the deck.

Or also, Ashiok would be kinda cute? If you can cast it before they have the combo, they can't cast Whir anymore, and if they have a Sword of the Meek that was yarded from Goblin Engineer and are tapped out you might manage to nab it. And of course Ashiok can mill yourself and could be relevant in other matchups. Three mana is a lot though.

With the disclaimer that I've never played with either archetype, I can see the argument for Ouphe over Ancient Grudge. I'd say it would be worth spending the time to test at least. Urza has moved on from the Whir/thopter/sword core and into a Emery/Sai/paradoxical outcome core in my experience. I wouldn't expect Ashiok to be effective against those builds even if you found a way to get it down fast enough.

[Micc]

Again I'm just theory crafting here, but if dredge can remove urza at instant speed every time he shows up then the beats should get there in time. So maybe your best plan is to just jam a bunch of lightning axes?

[Micc]

I think there’s a lot to be excited about from the premise of pioneer. Modern is long past being a format where the fundamental turn is turn 4, but pioneer has the potential to fill in that gap. I agree that the early months are going to be rocky. I’m not especially excited to pick up paper cards for the PTQ season only to have them banned. But I’m sure there are deck builders out there who will absolutely thrive on trying to get as many things banned as possible. If when things are all said and done we end up with a recreation of the ~5 year period than made modern insanely popular, this will have been a huge success.

[Micc]

Opened Arena for the first time in many months over the weekend. Been making my way up the ladder with temur reclamation.

Spoiler:

[Micc]

There’s a variety of simic/bant Oko decks that are pretty good. I’m also seeing a lot of cavalcade red, but Ive found that to be very beatable with just some shocks and flame sweeps. Gruul also exists and is a little trickier.

[Micc]

I hadn't considered Mystical Dispute or Disdainful Stroke maindeckable cards, but I guess dispute gets in front of Oko/Teferi. Stroke doesn't seem to solve any problems I'm having. I was already pretty sure my last two circuitous routes were cuts but those lists are confirmation. Brazen Borrower and Bonecrusher Giant have both been on my radar but I'm trying to be conservative with my wildcards. Once and Future seems like a great 1-of that I want to try. I think it's probably just a better version of what Escape to the Wilds is trying to accomplish.

I don't know if this archetype is actually any good, but I'm having a good time playing it so far. At least for the games that I remember to set my end step stop correctly.

[Micc]

Negate is pretty dead against mono red and gruul so I'd also be hesitant to put it in a main deck. Disdainful stroke seems super dead a lot of places too. I might give it a shot but it's not making sense to me in theory.

[Micc]

The linked deck is set to private viewing only

[Micc]

Bloom Hulk comes to mind as a great inclusion for both elemental and +1/+1 counter synergies.

[Micc]

Played Temur Rec in what turned out to be a really small PTQ yesterday. got the hot 3-0 start and dropped three straight win and ins to finish 3-3. But I don't have to play standard again for the foreseeable future so thats a win.

I think elementals is probably a good starting point for cascade event.

[Micc]

MTG Elo Project is pretty fascinating with respect to analyzing GP/PT results going back to 1998.

[Micc]

Sealed has been really good. I haven't drafted yet, but I'm expecting a fun format.

My experience playing constructed so far is just playing modern neobrand, but Thassa's Oracle seems to be the real deal with respect to replacing Laboratory Maniac as a win-con.

[Micc]

I didn't jump right in but now that I have im impressed. strixhaven is an incredible limited format

[Micc]

I feel like I have never not been in the process of buying/trading into a modern deck that is a year+ stale from the meta.

I should really just stick to mtgo cubes and borrowing stuff when I find the time to play in paper.

[Micc]

As far as legacy goes: I thought I was safe building elves. Get to having everything but duels and they print $100 staple allosaurus Shepard…

I thought lands were the way to go too, but right now I have all the modern lands and still feel like I have nothing because it’s changing so fast

[Micc]

Good luck this weekend tsq. I am out of town otherwise I’d probably be going for sealed.